


RWBY (Shipping) Drabbles

by orphan_account



Category: RWBY
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, Multi, RWBY - Freeform, Rosepin, Rosewick - Freeform, Semi-Sorta Summer/Qrow, Short Stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-08-23 01:03:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8307838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: A series of (rather long) drabbles written about my problematic OTPs. (Though other ships might join the fold).Characters and tags to be added as time goes. Please enjoy what I have to offer.





	1. Ruby/Ozpin: Cocoa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #1: Cocoa  
> Pairing: Ruby/Ozpin  
> *Modern!AU

It was a brisk day.

The sun still hung just barely in the East, making the afternoon appear to still be early morning. The sky was a somber grey, speckled cheerfully with blues between the overcast clouds. There had been threats of snow all morning and into the afternoon, so he dressed warmly, though he would have done so anyways.

He kept his pace leisurely, footsteps echoing as he came down the street. His cane swung by his side, clacking along with the heels of his shoes. Others rushed past him, or strolled along just barely ahead or behind him, but he paid them no mind.

He had somewhere he wanted to go.

He came to his destination soon enough, to his un-obvious delight, and walked in, the bell dangling above the door letting out a few cheerful dings.

The cafe was what he liked to call modest. Two walls were pressed against the street, covered in windows to let in whatever natural light that could be spared. The other two walls were old brick, the back wall being where the counter and machinery were. He shrugged off his coat, patting his pants pockets to make sure his essentials were still there, and hung it on the coat rack, rubbing the top of his cane with his thumb as he briefly considered hanging it up as well.

“Sal-u-tations! Welcome to Vytal Cafe! How can I help you?”

He turned at the semi-familiar voice, eyebrow raised as he looked at whoever had spoken. He vaguely recognized her, noticing a mop of pink hair with a green bow. He smiled politely, walking forwards. This was the other employee… Penny? A quick glance at her name-tag revealed he was correct.

When he came up to the counter, she gasped, eyes wide and hands over her mouth.

“Oh! You’re the man! I’m suppose to fetch Ruby when you come into the cafe!”

He blinked in surprise, though a small smirk stretched across his lips. Before he could say anything, she bolted off, running back behind. The light conversation heard in the background seemed to dull for a moment, before returning, somewhat more hesitant than before.

“Penny?! What are you doing back here?!”

“Well, Ruby, you-!”

“Penny, you can’t leave the front, especially when there are customers here!”

“But, Ruby-!”

“Penny-!”

“He’s here!”

There was silence for a moment, during which he tried not to grin like an idiot, though the corners of his mouth rose more than he wanted and his eyes crinkled merrily.

“P-Penny…!”

Ruby suddenly poked her head out, eyes wide and anxious. When she saw that it truly was him, she gave a soft “eep” before bolting back into the backroom. He didn’t hear anything for a moment until Ruby came back out, face the color of her namesake.

“H-He-e-e-ey there, friend!”

He chuckled, softly.

“Do you normally have your coworkers keep tabs on me, or is this a first time?”

She grumbled good naturedly, but cleared her throat after a moment.

“Anyways, here for the your usual?”

He felt his stomach twinge, but he nodded. When he had first come to this cafe, Ruby had just started working here. She had been inexperienced and unsure of herself. As he had come in, he heard her whimper out, “Please let the next one want a hot cocoa. That’s all I can make.”

He had an aversion to sweet things. When he was younger, he could tolerate them, but as he aged, they hurt his stomach if consumed too often, and made him very faintly sick if on spaced out occasion. 

But hearing her so downtrodden, he took pity on her. He ordered the hot cocoa.

Ruby smiled up at him, all teeth and crinkled eyes, bouncing on her toes excitedly.

“Great! Be out in a jiffy!”

He allowed himself to smile, taking a step away from the counter and turning around to find where he wanted to sit.

A table of three was filled near his usual place, and a few couples tables were taken, though scattered around the cafe. Not too bad. He should be able to finish his paperwork without being too bothered.

“Here you go! And, I made sure your regular table is clear.”

He turned and flashed a grateful smile at her, making sure to pay for the hot cocoa and leave her a handsome tip.

He claimed his table, barely casting a glance at the table of three filled up by female college students, and set aside his hot cocoa. Paperwork came out of his bag, followed by a pen and his phone. Once he felt situated, he moved to begin working.

The table was jostled for a moment and he looked up to find the previous occupants from the table next to him now sitting at his. He blinked, eyes moving from one face to another.

“Well… Hello there.”

“Hello.”

“Howdy there.”

“Afternoon.”

Silence followed after the initial greetings, and he wasn’t sure what to do. Was there a reason these women were speaking to him? One of them, the one in the middle with unruly blonde hair, looked semi-familiar, but he knew he had never met her. Though, at a glance to the one on her left, with white hair and a haughty expression, he recognized the youngest daughter of the Schnee company.

“Is there-?”

“What’s your name?”

He paused at the sudden interruption.

“Ozpin.”

Blonde raised an eyebrow.

“Just Ozpin?”

He hesitated, unsure if he was willing to share his full name, when the Blonde already chose to speak again.

“Doesn’t matter- for now. I’m Yang. The Snow Queen is Weiss, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, and this is Blake.”

“It’s a pleasu-.”

“For you, maybe. Now, I have some questions for you.”

Ozpin looked unabashedly confused. Why had all of this come about?

“You’ve been getting pretty friendly with Ruby.”

A light bulb flickered in his head, and he felt a small sense of dread coil in his stomach. His fingers twitched slightly with nerves.

“Ah, I see what this is about.”

“I should hope so. And I hope you know I don’t take kindly to people leading my little sister on.”

Ozpin started, eyes blinking. Oh dear, oh deary dear.

“I beg your pardon? “Leading her on”? What could give you that idea? She is a kind young woman, but she’s shown no particular interest in me.”

At this statement, Yang rolled her eyes, exchanging a glance with Blake before exchanging another with Weiss. Before he had time to react, Yang snatched his cocoa and the receipt next to it. She scanned over the receipt before, to his absolute shock, took a sip of his drink. She grimaced, biting her tongue and her eyes squinted before she set the drink back down in front of him.

“You’re paying less than what the normal hot cocoa usually is. Employee discount. I should know, because not only did I work here, Ruby still gives me one all the time. Also, you haven’t tried your drink yet, have you?”

“Well, I find myself not wanting to now!”

Yang rolled her eyes again.

“Just do it. Trust me.”

Hesitantly, he reached forward and took the drink, eyeing it suspiciously. He raised it and took a sip, bracing for the overbearing sweetness. Instead, of the taste of warm chocolate milk, he found the taste of bitter coffee. Blake spoke up this time, head tilted to the side and she rested her chin on her hand.

“Every morning, you stop by here and order a black coffee with two sugars. Every other day, you order hot cocoa in the evenings when Ruby is working. Ruby actually asked the other employees-” they all gesture to Penny, and who appears to a young man who would be relieving Penny- “if you came in and was devastated to learn she was giving you the wrong usual.”

Ozpin had nothing to say, staring down at the coffee in his hands. He was… Mildly disappointed Ruby had found out. She always looked excited as she made his drink, and he remembers her confessing that hot cocoa was her favorite thing, next to chocolate chip cookies. Yet, he found it kind of her to learn the truth.

“Now, here’s the thing.”

Ozpin glanced back up, watching Yang play with a strand of her hair.

“Normally, I let my baby sister make mistakes and learn. Getting her heartbroken is one of those things she needs to learn. You are not the first guy she’s liked.”

Despite the fact he knew he couldn’t have been, he still felt a small well of disappointment in him.

“But you’re the first guy she’s talked about this much. And the first she’s poured this much into without expecting anything back. Ruby is too much like our dad. She likes people too much too quickly. You leading her on like this, it’s going to break her more than you think. I want her to cry a bit and move on. But what you’re doin’, ain’t going to lead to that.”

Ozpin had nothing to say for a few moments. He felt a small, hot blush trail over his cheeks and decorate the tips of his ears, though the color didn’t show well in the white afternoon light. He cleared his throat, looking back at Yang with a sheepish expression.

“I… Haven’t been meaning to give the impression I was leading her on. I have an interest in her, but because of our positions as employee/client, I did not wish to instigate something. I would have held power over her, as the famous motto “the customer is always right” could backfire on poor employees who cannot say no. If anything, I would like the pair of us to meet on even ground.”

Yang narrowed her eyes, giving his explanation some though. Weiss finally spoke this time.

“And the age gap?”

Ozpin grimaced.

“I am well aware of it. Another barrier, and another step that places me above her. However, I am but one simple man. I may be the Headmaster of the local college, but I am easily expendable and replaceable. Should I perform any wrong, all three of you could easily mount an assault and land me in jail. The school will more likely drop me rather than defend for me, even if the evidence is tawdry at best.”

All three women blinked in surprise, shocked that the Headmaster would so willingly give them a means to throw him under the bus to protect Ruby. It was shady, and while it didn’t make them trust him anymore, it didn’t make them trust him any less. He was making sure Ruby had support and an out.

The three exchanged glances once more, one final time. Blake simply raised her eyebrows, dropping her negatively neutral expression to one more open. Yang gave a wide grin of teeth that reminded him of a lion, and Weiss simply let a satisfied smirk slide across her face.

He had a feeling he’d be seeing these girls more often than not.

“Alright. That’ll do for now. Any dates you go on, though, all three of us are chaperones.”

Ozpin could only nod.

“Hey, Yang, I got you and the rest of RWBY drinks. I’m ready to go when...ev...er…”

All four turned towards Ruby, who stood with her mouth gaping widely, hands shaking with the carboard carried threatening to tip. He stood immediately and gently took the drinks from her, setting them down on the three person table the others had occupied before beginning their assault on Ozpin.

“O-Oh my gosh… Oh goodness golly, I’m so sorry! I’m so, so sorry if they were bothering you, I don’t know what could have gotten into their heads and-!”

Yang, Blake, and Weiss, still with their respective smiles in place, stood and moved over to the other table, giving Ruby and Ozpin as much privacy as they were going to get anytime soon. Ozpin cleared his throat to stop Ruby’s rambling, instead turning and holding his coffee in his own hand.

“Black, two sugars. Thank you.”

Ruby shuffled bashfully.

“Y’could’ve told me you wanted something different than cocoa.”

“I realize that now. Since you are off your shift, would you like to join me for a bit?”

Ruby glanced at her friends, each of them giving what they thought were sly thumbs ups. She chewed her lip for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, yeah, I would love to. I’ve been wanting to for a while, but, ah…”

Ozpin chuckled lowly.

“I completely understand. Now, shall we enjoy our drinks?”

“Yes, yes most definitely, absolutely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? Was it horrible? Considering the pairing, yeah. I've already accepted my trip to hell. By now I'm just helping hand out tickets.  
> The majority of these drabbles will be Ruby/Ozpin and Ruby/Roman (and OT3), but if anyone wants me to, I can attempt writing for other, major ships. Only on rare occasion, as my two main ships don't get the love they deserve.  
> If you have a problem, you're free to leave your rude comments in the comment box *conveniently* disguised as that trash can.


	2. Ruby/Roman: Getaway Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #2: Getaway Car  
> Pairing: Ruby Rose/Roman Torchwick  
> (AU?)

The doors slammed open, bursting forth as the pair ran down the steps. A bell tolled above their heads, though neither could register it as they raced ahead. A crowd of people behind them roared as white noise, their voices indecipherable in between the bell, their footsteps, and the cacophony of pellets that almost sounded like hail and hellfire.

He opened the door for her, a wry grin on his face as he watched her scramble in before he slammed the car closed and ran to the other side. His eyes scanned everywhere and nowhere before he was in the driver’s seat.

The engine came alive beneath his hands, the steering wheel cold and biting into his already chilled fingers. She turned to him, eyes wide and wild and full of silver.

“Floor it, floor it now.”

He slammed the gas down, both of them jerking back as they shot down the road. He let out a giddy laugh, adrenaline burning through his system. She laughed back, still full of edges and fear.

“Oh my god.”

He laughed louder and harder.

“You can say that again! How you holdin’ up, Red?”

“Just short of a heart attack, but doing just peachy! Except for the fact that my wedding dress is stained. And I lost my headband. And my bouquet is a billion miles behind. But yeah, just fine.”

He glanced at her, all mirth fading into amusement, but he could feel the dread and anxiety coiling in his stomach as he looked at her. She was a shock of red and white, though he knew most of the blood didn’t come from her. Her hair was a mess, no longer the loose curls she had before.

“You think they figured it out?”

She snorted, before chewing on her lip.

“Considering they were shooting us with bullets instead of throwing rice at us, yeah, I think they did.”

He nodded, glancing at the rearview mirror.

“Shit. Red, they’ve caught up.”

“Dammit! Roman, gimme your gun!”

“No! No, there’s no way I’m letting you shoot at them!”

“They’re the ones who interrupted our wedding!”

“And they will pay for that, but I’m not lettin-!”

“Too late!”

She pounced towards him, pulling the gun out of the holster before he could slap her hands away. She jerked back into the passenger seat, before turning and leaning out the window, firing away at the car behind her that was doing its damndest to shoot out the couple’s tires.

“Take this, suckers! That’s what you get!”

“Red, stop shooting!”

“No! They ruined our wedding!”

“Our fake wedding!”

“Oh, like you didn’t mean a single word of those vows!”

“I couldn’t have, I got them online!”

Ruby stuck her tongue out at him, before sticking her head back out the window.

“I know you did, you showed me the website you got them from, you meanie butt.”

“That’s what you get when you make me go dress shopping with you. Isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride?”

“Maybe that’s why these guys are trying to gun us down.”

“Aw, Red, you actually made a clever joke.”

“Oh, just shut up and drive.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dis one be short.  
> I have no idea what particular reason there would be for Roman and Ruby to have a fake wedding, but what I do know is that it did not work.  
> *Warning: Spoilers for Blacklist*  
> I based this off of Season 3, when Tom and Lizzy attempt to get married and have to leave the church guns-blazing. I couldn't make Ruby pregnant in this (because no), but the image of a heavily pregnant lady leaning out the car window, shooting the bad guys? It made me giggle all the way to kingdom come.


	3. Ruby/Roman/Ozpin: Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #3: Comfort  
> Pairing: Ruby/Roman/Ozpin

She curled into herself, yanking the hood harshly over her head. Her knees were drawn up to her chest, nails digging into the flesh of her calves.

For the longest time, she just trembled, filled with a righteous fury as she wanted to kick and scream and thrash. She wanted to murder every single Grimm she could get her hands on, watch them disintegrate into dust and blow away on the wind.

The anger burned hotly through her, but she kept herself curled up, refusing to break. She shook almost violently, her breathing bordering on frantic. Blake always told her to take slow, deep breaths when she got this angry, but it was taking all of her willpower as it was to not hyperventilate.

Her stomach coiled tightly, and a chill ran through her. The anger was doused with ice and water and all she felt was fear and sadness. She whimpered and whined, small spikes of the previous anger rising up each time she made a sound.

But she couldn’t help it. She clawed at her knees, tearing the tights apart and leaving scratches on her kneecaps that already began to bleed. Her harsh breathing turned into hyperventilating as she began unconsciously rocking back and forth, trying to comfort herself as if she was a child.

“Ruby?”

She didn’t respond, too angry and too sad to have a coherent answer. She tried to ignore him, make him leave her and her misery alone, but he refused to move. She could picture it, him standing over her and staring her down with those brown eyes, one brow cocked in his signature face of worry.

He sighed, deep and low, and sat down beside her. He didn’t do anything, didn’t say anything, and it almost drove her crazy because something should be happening.

Eventually, he reached over and took her hand. He was gentle, treating her almost like fine china, and she glanced at their hands from the corner of her eye, briefly marveling at how much of a difference there was. How his hand engulfed hers.

His thumb brushed over her knuckles, running over the tops of her fingers. He leaned down and planted a chaste kiss over the back of her hand, and if it were any other day, she’d jump for joy at the progress they had made, over how comfortable he was to show her little hints of affection.

His affection only made her heart ache and twist. She tried to wrench her hand away from his, but he held fast. He started to move closer to her, until she could see his chest out of the corner of her eye, seeing it rise and fall. His arm started to wrap around her shoulders, still holding onto her hand, when the elevator opened.

She didn’t bother to look up, still curled up and drowning in misery, but she saw him tense, annoyance radiating off him. She knew he wouldn’t start a fight, but that couldn’t be said about the other person in the room. 

“Well, what have we here?”

His voice had a dangerous edge, one that implied he wouldn’t like any answer that didn’t fall in his favor. A low growl came from her side, a growl too low, too dark, sending a shock of terror through her. She jolted upright, head smacking against the wall, eyes widening as she began to hyperventilate harder, black specs decorating her vision.

She was back, watching the Grimm, watching it tear and rip and maim, blood, blood, blood…!

“Holy shit, Ruby!”

He ran towards her, feet pounding against the marble floor until halfway, when he decided to slide the rest of the way. He came to a stop in front of her, hands on her knees, though was shocked when they came away sticky with blood.

“What the hell happened to you?”

His yelling wasn’t helping her. The tremors came back more violently until she couldn’t keep still, buzzing with terror.

A shock of silver hair was in front of her, cool fingers on her cheeks, thumbs rubbing the bags under her eyes.

“Ruby, Ruby listen to me. Look at me.”

She tried, focusing on him as best she could. He was blurry, and the one behind him was just splotches of color.

“Focus on me, I know you can. Tell me, what do you feel? What do your hands feel?”

He pressed her hands against his chest, not even wincing when her nails dug into the fabric and pinched his flesh. He only held her face in his hands.

“Ruby, what do you feel?”

She hiccuped a few times, breathing slowing down.

“C-Coat.”

“Yes, my coat. What does it feel like? Remember?”

She struggled through her thoughts, fighting for control over everything in her being. She remembered the time he let her wear it, when he was sure they were alone. The woods, during winter. Her cloak had been at the dorm, and the snow had sprung about suddenly.

“W-wool… T-too thick f-for… Indoor. It was… W-Warm.”

“Yes, exactly. It was thick and heavy on you. You said it “swallowed you whole”, yes?”

She nodded, loosening her grip on his coat, vision focusing. He kept talking to her, always asking for her to answer as he guided her through her thoughts. The splotches of color became solid people. He still held her face in his hands, but sat back with a tired sigh, relief causing his shoulders to sag. She always hated when he looked like this. So much older. Too old.

The man behind him stood up and swore, anxiety riddled anger channeling through his system. He took a few deep breaths before kneeling back down in front of her.

“Scare me half to death, Red, why don’t you?”

He turned and glared at the third member, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Looks like I walked in at the right time. Old man trying to pull a move on you?”

He tensed again, eyes flashing in anger, though he didn’t growl this time as he pulled her hands away from her cheeks.

“Do you even have any idea what happened to warrant this situation?!”

The other blinked, green eyes confused.

“Uhh… No? I assumed it was something silly, like her dog got lost or somethin’.”

As they talked, she curled back into herself. She didn’t have the energy for their fighting. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t deal with these two when she could barely keep herself together.

She had tried so desperately to not cry earlier, to not make any sound. She was a Huntress-in-training, she wasn’t supposed to be weak. She wasn’t supposed to cry. But those words- “something silly”- shattered her facade. Because she wasn’t getting worked up over something silly, no matter how desperately she wished that everything was fine.

She sniffled. One, twice. She gave a hoarse cough, trying to hold her breath so it didn’t come out as a whimper. Her nails dug into her knees again, destroying the platelets that clotted her blood and began bleeding anew.

Both men remained silent, turning to each other with worried expressions. A hesitant truce passed between the two. They each took a side, silver to her right and orange to her left. Her hands were forced away from her knees, wrapped around her sides instead . She was pulled against one’s chest, forehead in the crook of her neck.

The other straightened her legs over his lap, leaning down and placing another kiss upon each of the injured knees. Three kisses in one day. She should celebrate.

She sobbed, clinging to one as the other quietly explained what happened. How the Grimm had convened, how her team had gotten hurt while she came away unscathed.

They sat for nearly hours. Both spoke in soft voices, taking turns telling her stories, or singing, or murmuring words of comfort.

When her tears had all been spent, and she felt sick without water, she gasped out their names, holding one of each of their hands tightly in her own.

“R-Ro… O-Oz… Sorry…”

“Don’t you dare say sorry, Red. It’s not like you. Besides, what will the press say when they hear you apologizing to a world class criminal?”

“For once, Torchwick is right. Do not apologize for you did nothing wrong. Now…”

Ozpin stood up, straightening and stretching himself. He handed his own cane to Roman before leaning down and picking up Ruby. Roman wanted to protest, but knew now wasn’t the time nor place. The fight for Ruby could wait.

“Let’s get you upstairs. Roman will stay with you while I fix you some dinner and cocoa. Come along, Torchwick.”

Roman grumbled, but followed. At least he gets to cuddle alone with Ruby for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a weak, weak woman.  
> Give me love rivals Roman/Ozpin any day.  
> Give me loving and cooperative and "the-fights-are-mostly-show" boyfriends Roman/Ozpin EVERY day.  
> Originally, it was just going to be Yang who got hurt, but it'd be more devastating if it was the entire team.


	4. Ruby/Roman/Ozpin: Fever Pitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #4: Fever Pitch/ Explanation  
> Pairing: Ruby/Roman/Ozpin

Team WBY watched wearily as their Headmaster and previously sworn enemy fussed and cared for Ruby.

While nothing was confirmed nor denied, Ruby had been out late last night as it was snowing. She came home soaking wet, from her thick winter clothes down to her underwear. Her excuse had been she tripped and landed in a puddle, but after a bit of digging, they found out she had been with Ozpin and Roman, making snow angels and having a snowball fight.

Due to that, she became sick over night, wrought with a raging fever, and both men felt guilty. Because Team WBY had classes to attend, no one could stay behind to help Ruby, that was, until her two secret partners came about, looking anxious and guilty.

“Blake, Weiss, Yang, you three need to head to class. Your leader will remain in our care and safe in her dorm room.”

Blake was grinding her teeth, glaring at Roman, who was fussing over Ruby’s blankets, but it was Yang who spoke out.

“Like I’m going to leave you alone with my baby sister! Who knows what you’ll do to her!”

Roman snapped at Yang, a deep frown etched into his face.

“Can it, Blondie! We’re here to help.”

Yang growled herself, Blake tense with anger, but she tried to remain unruffled. Weiss was quiet, for once, looking between Ozpin, Ruby, and Roman. She eventually pulled Yang and Blake behind her, stepping forward to stand before the two men. She kept her chin high, staring down Roman in the high and mighty way she usually saved for Ruby.

“I want Professor Goodwitch to be monitoring you. During lunch period you will answer our questions while we also tend to Ruby. At the end of the school day, we will continue interrogating you. If you do anything to Ruby, you will regret ever messing with Team RWBY. Do I make myself clear?”

Roman exchanged glances with Ozpin. The had an entire discussion in silence before both nodded, coming to a decent conclusion. Roman turned back to Weiss, and sighed, nodding at her as well.

“Alright, we’ll answer your questions, Ice Queen. Go get Goodwitch and get to class.”

Weiss nodded herself, once, turning on her heel and grabbing Yang and Blake by their collars and dragging them out the door. Arguments exploded once they reached the hall, but they decreased in volume as they headed to class.

Roman sighed, rubbing an ungloved hand over his face before glancing back at Ozpin. Ozpin had his coat removed and his sleeves rolled up, a basin of cold water and a washcloth by him. After the other three had left, he had turned back to Ruby and wiped at her forehead, hoping that the fever would go down.

“I knew I shouldn’t have come along. Those friends of her’s hate me. If it had just been you, we wouldn’t have been outed like this.”

At this, Ozpin only gave a shrug. He dried his hands on a separate washcloth and felt Ruby’s forehead, his frown deepening. He pulled Ruby’s covers farther up before sitting back in his chair, sighing.

Roman watched him before taking a seat at the foot of Ruby’s bed, being careful to not jolt or jostle her at all so she could rest.

“What’s done is done, Torchwick. All we can do is hope Glynda will be enough of a presence to defuse any situation that might occur.”

Roman gave a shrug himself, turning his eyes from Ozpin to Ruby. He watched her breathe, willing her chest to rise and fall. It was a simple cold. There’s nothing to worry about. At least, that’s what he kept trying to tell himself.

“Does it ever dawn on you how impossible all of this is?”

Roman’s voice had been soft, causing Ozpin to pause in removing his glasses. He studied Roman for a moment, but went back to rubbing his face and cleaning the lenses.

“I suppose, on the rare occasion, it does.”

“But do you ever just… Think about it? Her teammates wanted me dead for the longest time. Then she just upped and…”

Ozpin’s own voice turned soft, looking at Roman with an undeniable respect and vague fondness.

“I’m just as confused as you are, to say the least. I watched her grow into this wonderful young woman. Watched her train in my academy. To have her suddenly insist on… It was shocking, to say the least.”

Roman gave a laugh.

“She’s somethin’, alright.”

The door creaked open and both men were on their feet with their weapons drawn before either realized it. Glynda came into the room, taking measured steps to ensure she didn’t make too much noise. She scoffed at the men, waving her hand for them to take a seat.

“Gentlemen, there’s no need to kick up a fuss, it’s just me. I see the rest of Team RWBY found out about their leader’s secret?”

Neither men answered- the looks on their faces were enough. Ozpin was the first to speak up again, looking up at Glynda imploringly.

“Glynda, please. We need your help.”

“And what makes you think I’ll give it to you? Qrow and I disapproved of this entire fiasco the minute Ruby came rushing into your office. The only reason we let this carry on was because Ruby was of age. But you-” Ozpin flinched as her finger jabbed in his direction- “Are her headmaster! And you-” Roman sneered- “Are a wanted criminal. Both, positions of power over Ruby.”

“Glynda, you have valid points, but-.”

“No, Ozpin-!”

“Just let him ex-!”

A thunderous coughing fit came from Ruby’s bed, wet and ugly as it tore her throat to shreds. Glynda was dazed, having forgotten about the unconscious and sickly fourth occupant in the room. Roman and Ozpin acted quickly, forgetting Glynda was even there as they fell into caring mode.

Ozpin, closest to Ruby, helped her sit up, fluffing up her pillows for her to lie against. He rubbed her back in slow circles, patting gently as the coughs wracked her body. Roman grabbed a nearby water bottle, unscrewing the cap and bringing it to Ruby, along with medicine that he carefully measured out.

“R-R...Ro…?”

“Hey there, little Red, I’m here. See? Ro is here. Oz is too, see?”

Ruby blinked blearily and turned her head to look at Ozpin. He smiled, a small one that Glynda hadn’t seen for years.

“Hello there, Ruby. You’re sick, and Ro and I are here to help you feel well. Now, why don’t you take your medicine and go back to sleep?”

Ruby whimpered at “medicine”, not looking forward to the bitter taste, but she was obedient and drank down the syrup, following it quickly after with water. She coughed once more before letting Ozpin lower her back down into the mattress, Roman speaking quietly to her.

When Ruby was lulled back to sleep, Ozpin and Roman shared looks. Half smiles illuminated their faces, shining as they looked back at the one to receive their affection. Despite being opposites, they worked well together.

Glynda was silent during the entire debacle, stunned still while watching the trio. When the two gentlemen finally remembered her presence, she was refusing to look at them. Her expression was stone cold, but some form of understand had bloomed in her, followed closely by her version of heartbreak.

“Glynda?”

“I’m going to leave for a few moments. I need to contact Qrow. I feel, once the lunch period has rolled around, all of us will need to be here as you explain… This.”

She gestured loosely to the pair, turning on her heel and walking out of the room with as much grace as she had when she first entered. Both men didn’t quite know what to do now. What had changed in Glynda?

“I suppose now we wait, and tend to Ruby.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

Hours passed until eventually the lunch period rolled around. The room was cramped with the amount of people, but they all made do. Qrow and Yang sat by Ruby, tending to her and her team mates sat on the floor close by, Glynda overwatching them the whole time.

Ozpin and Roman took to the bed across from them, separated from the one they cared about by a mass of people. Roman was the first the speak, choosing to appear nonchalant, twirling his bowler hat on top of Melodic Cudgel.

“So, what do you want to know?”

WBY exchanged glances until Yang finally spoke, coldly staring down the pair of men.

“How long has this been going on?”

Ozpin answered at that time. He moved from his tense position to one more relaxed, leaning back in his chair.

“Our relationships with Ruby began at different times, though romantic feels did not occur until after her 18th birthday. A few months after her 18th birthday, she approached me, admitting to having a “crush” on myself, but desiring to be friends.”

“I think it was a few months before Red’s birthday that she negotiated with Ironwood for my release. She convinced me to make a deal with Ironwood, which is confidential. The only person with a high enough ranking to hear it is Ruby. After I got out, she just… Wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Roman had a bitter smile, staring down at his shoes with his arms crossed.

“By the time she turned 18, I already fell hard. Then she had to go after Oz.”

The two men shared a glare, but there was no real malice behind it. The two men had long put aside their differences to work together to make Ruby happy. The beginning was rough, but in the end, both knew where their priorities lied.

All were staring at the pair. Eventually, Blake cleared her throat, drawing back their attention.

“Well, we know how Roman fell. But what about you, Professor Ozpin?”

Ozpin blinked, eyes widening a bit before he looked away, a very light pink on his cheeks as he cleared his throat.

“Well, ah… That is to say…”

“She macked on him, that’s what happened.”

“What?!”

Ozpin glared angrily at Roman, cheeks flushed a bit redder. Roman was full belly laughing, covering his eyes with one hand as the other clutched his chest. If the others weren’t in the room, he would have forgone all pretenses and proceeded to kick the hell out of Roman. Sadly, Ozpin had an image to maintain. That, and Ruby wouldn’t be pleased.

Glynda, though still surprised by this information, only gave a small “Oh!”.

“I remember that day. She kissed your cheek, didn’t she?”

At those words, the room simmered down, tense anger fading from Qrow and Yang.

“Well, yes, she did in fact kiss my cheek. We had spent months together, and she proved to be an intelligent and wonderful young woman. I was happy to consider us potential friends, but afterwards… Things seemed different.”

Silence followed after that declaration, until Glynda spoke again, her own curiosity peaking through now that she (begrudgingly) put aside her issues.

“How is she both of your partners? How does your entire dynamic work?”

“At first, Torchwick and I just competed for Ruby’s attention and affection. It started having a negative effect on her mental state, however, as she felt pressured by us to choose when she was happy with both. Eventually, Torchwick and I sat down together and decided to discuss terms.”

“I wanted to know if there was any possible way for Red, Oz, and I to make it work. The word “polyamory” came up and, well…”

Weiss furrowed her brows.

“Polyamory? Is that any different from polygamy, or cheating?”

Both Roman and Ozpin bristled, but Ozpin was the one to answer calmly, though his voice held a sharp edge.

“Polyamory is the consensual relationship between multiple parties with constant communication. Ruby cannot be alone with Roman unless I am warned ahead of time, and vice versa with Ruby and I. That was, in the early days of our relationship. Once our dynamics were sorted, we found that as long as Ruby was happy, and Roman and I were on the same page, everything could work.”

Roman continued, his own voice laced with a dangerous anger.

“Polygamy is the disgusting idea that women are objects, and can be married away. Women are treated less than people, and more like pets. Cheating is where you betray your partner instead of discussing the issue like rational people. Polyamory is none of these things, and you’d do your best to watch your mouth, Ice Queen.”

Roman was close to snarling, furious that anyone would imply he’d treat Ruby any less of a person. Weiss flinched back, but glared.

“It was an honest question!”

“It honestly was not, Schnee. It was offensive and derogatory.”

Weiss’s eyes widened at the clipped tone coming from Qrow. At the questioning stares from everyone in the room, he shrugged.

“I’ve seen those kind of relationships. The good kinds. They work, and they’re happy. Nothing much else to say about that.”

All knew Qrow was hiding something else behind that answer, but decided to leave it be. Now was not the time to be dredging up old wounds. Weiss grumbled, but a comforting hand was placed on her shoulder, again by Qrow.

“You’ve learned the difference now. Let’s move on.”

It was Blake’s turn to ask, glancing between the pair of men with a curious look.

“Are you two…?”

Roman’s jaw dropped before breaking out into full belly laughs again, calming himself only to break out again when he caught sight of Ozpin. Ozpin himself only rolled his eyes, arms crossed as he refused to look at anyone. Eventually, Roman spoke for both of them, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Tragically, no, as both of us happen to be heterosexual.”

Blake only gave a shrug, though she looked embarrassed at having asked the question. She instead backtracked, deciding she wanted a different answer.

“If you’re not, then how does all this work? You said you both fought for Ruby.”

“Indeed we had. I had also said that Torchwick and I decided to sit down and discuss our differences. Though we both walked away with bruises, we had come to the same conclusion- neither of us were willing to distance ourselves from Ruby.”

“Red found us both lying on the floor, sore and unable to move, and had assumed we had tried to beat each other to death. Well, she wasn’t wrong, but still hurt she’d think that lowly of us.”

“Together, all three of us sat down and began to discuss what we could do. Eventually, we did research. Torchwick was surprisingly adept at finding what we needed to know.”

“At the beginning, we just posted a paper on the wall with the rules we had made. Oz and I eventually just dealed. Seeing Ruby happy was enough for both of us.”

“And while Torchwick won’t admit it, we did happen to become friends.”

“Oh yes, we stayed up all night talking about boys and how our weapon was better than the others.”

Roman gave a mischievous smirk at Ozpin, who gave a traitorous laugh. The two settled as quickly as their mirth came, refusing to look at each other. The others of the group exchanged glances and shrugged, deciding that this wasn’t the weirdest thing they would be dealing with today.

A soft mumble came from Ruby, her covers and blankets shifting as she tried to sit up. Both Roman and Ozpin bolted straight up, but hesitated as they looked at the mass of people separating them from the sickly woman. Everyone parted as best they could and moved to the other side of the room, let’’s the pair of men rush over to their loved one.

Ruby sat up and blinked blearily, looking around. She made eye contact with Ozpin and smiled before catching sight of Roman as well. Her face lit up, grin wide and happy.

“Roman! Oz! I didn’t know you were here…!”

She stopped, expression dropping as she looked past her doting boyfriends to the group of people watching the three interact. She flinched at the sight of her Team and teachers (plus Uncle).

“Do… Do they know…?”

Yang piped up, crossing her arms and doing her best to look stern, though she was more relieved that her sister was awake and coherent now.

“We know Rubes. We’ll have that talk later though. Team WBY had got to take off for class.”

Glynda checked her watch, despite not needing to.

“I have a class I’m supposed to oversee. I’ll escort you and sign you a note.”

Everyone looked a Qrow, who just shrugged and pulled out his flask, downing the entirety of it in one go.

“Would you look at that? Looks like I need to hit the bar.”

As everyone filed out of the room, the trio looked at each other before giving their own shrugs. They had Ruby to worry about, and tending to her was their first priority. Everyone else could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Polyamory is a thing, and should be respected and potentially revered. And before I hear people complain about how it ruins the sanctity of relationships, please think about how you're being childish over the fact that multiple people can handle a relationship better than you.  
> Lots'a headcanons went into this one. If you're curious, here's everyone's sexualities (well, important peeps, at least)  
> -Ozpin: Hetero-romantic, asexual (potentially demi-, but I'm thinking he actually might be sex-repulsed (unless its for procreation))  
> -Roman Torchwick: Hetero-romantic, closeted pansexual (he makes a joke about him and Oz being heterosexual, but Roman would totally bang Oz)  
> -Ruby Rose: Bi-curious/romantic (she's ain't sure about 'dem ladies), heterosexual (potentially somewhere in the demi- ace- spectrum. Even at an adult age, she isn't too concerned about sex)  
> -Yang Xiao Long: DIS BITCH PAN ALL THE WAY (panromantic, pansexual)  
> -Weiss Schnee: Bi-romantic, bi-sexual, with a preference for ladies (she thinks everyone is a dolt)  
> -Blake Belladonna: Grey-aromantic, asexual (She's not entirely sure if she wants a romantic or platonic partner, but Sun is happy to provide either as long as he gets the occasional smooch)
> 
> Headcanon: Glynda has lowkey liked Ozpin for as long as they've known each other, but the pair only really work well together in a professional sense.
> 
> Whatcha all think?


	5. Ruby/Roman/Ozpin: Home Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happened before the events of "Fever Pitch"?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #5: Home Sick  
> Pairing: Ruby/Roman/Ozpin

It wasn’t unusual for Ruby to sleep in.

Her team was already used to having to wake her up every morning, sometimes even dumping a bucket of cold water as she mumbled “five more minutes” for the 13th time. This time was different though.

Yang was always the first to try and wake Ruby up, always having more success since she knew what buttons to push (and where to tickle) to get Ruby up in time for breakfast. As Yang prepared to descend on her little sister, she noticed something was wrong. Ruby was paler than usual, and was shaking violently beneath the mountain of covers she found her under.

“Hey, guys?”

Blake looked up from pulling on her winter stockings, head tilted curiously.

“What is it Yang? Ruby giving you trouble?”

“Uh, no. I think Ruby’s sick.”

Weiss, who was just walking back into their room from the shower paused before scoffing, rolling her eyes.

“Of course she’d get sick. She was out all night, “tripping into puddles”.”

Yang bristled and scowled at Weiss, turning back to her sister to avoid arguing with her teammate. Blake lingered behind her, looking between the two nervously. Yang traced her fingertips over Ruby’s cheek before laying her palm over her forehead, mumbling worriedly as it came away burning.

“Yeah, she’s sick. Raging fever. We need to stay behind and take care of her.”

“Yang, you know we can’t. We’ve got tests and exams today. They’re going to be lenient with Ruby because she’s sick, but not any of us.”

“Blake is right, Yang. Let’s just call Professor Goodwitch during breakfast.”

Yang shook her head, wringing her hands a bit before clenching them at her sides.

“You guys go on ahead, I’ll stay behind until someone sends care for Ruby.”

Weiss sighed impatiently.

“If you’re going to do that, then we all might as well stay. I’ll just text Jaune to bring us some breakfast.”

The three teammates nodded in agreement. Blake called Goodwitch, telling her the situation and requesting someone come and care for Ruby while they were busy with classes. Weiss took to calling Jaune, demanding he bring them breakfast while the team waited.

Yang stood by Ruby’s side, moving her from Ruby’s own bed to Weiss’s underneath, finding it easier to tend to her if she was on a lower level. Yang fetched a wash cloth and a bowl of water from the bathroom, dabbing at Ruby’s burning forehead in the hopes the cool water would bring her fever down.

Everyone in the room sat in silence until Jaune came by, who handed over his food and nervously tried to ask about Ruby. Weiss slammed the door in his face, like usual, and proceeded to pass out everyone’s portions. No one talked.

Towards the end of breakfast, right when the three Huntresses were about ready to argue again, a borderline frantic knock came at the door. The three women were stunned silent until Weiss walked across the room and answered the door.

The door creaked open, all three women gathered as a group as they tried to peek at who it could be. Headmaster Ozpin stood before them, fiddling idly with his cane. Someone stood behind him, but they were out of sight enough that they couldn’t get a clear visual.

“Professor… Ozpin? What are you doing here?”

“I was informed that your team leader is sick, Miss Belladonna. And we came to see her.”

“We?”

They tried again to get a look at Ozpin’s companion, but whoever they were was determined to remain out of sight. Ozpin cleared his throat, drawing back the Huntress’s attention. He continued to fiddle with the handle of his cane, though his actions were more jerky and nervous, eyes shining with worry.

“Please, ladies. How is Ruby?”

“Fever, cough. That’s about all we know so far. She’s been asleep all morning.”

Just as Yang finished speaking, Ruby began coughing violently, her whole bed shaking precariously.

“Ruby!”

Ozpin’s companion suddenly pushed through everyone, shoving bodies aside in their rush to get to Ruby. There was a flash of white and orange, strikingly familiar in a dangerous way. Ozpin’s eyes were wide, but he had a grim acceptance about him. Slowly, the entire team turned to face who had rushed past them.

Blake bristled with anger, tense like a wild animal. Yang’s hair began to lash furiously, heat radiating off her as if she was a flame itself. Weiss was frozen to the core, an uncharacteristic snarl stretched across her lips. All three began to reach for their weapons, ready to attack their sworn enemy.

“You can stop that this instant. Torchwick is not our enemy.”

“Like hell he is!”

“Can all of you shut it?! Red is trying to get some rest! Dammit, Oz, I knew we should have made her dry off!”

Each of their tempers tampered off just a slight amount at Roman’s furious whisper-shout. He had picked Ruby up and moved her down to Weiss’s bed. Ozpin worked his way through Ruby’s teammates, helping Roman settle Ruby into her new bed.

“What’s done is done, Torchwick. If anyone is at fault, it should be yours. You were the one to suggest snow angels.”

“At least I didn’t feel the need to toss a snowball in our faces. You know how Red gets.”

“Would anyone care to explain what you two are talking about?!”

Both men paused and glanced back towards Team WBY, all of them who were doing their very best not to jump what seemed to be their sworn enemy and Headmaster acting inappropriately with their team leader.

“Fuck.”

Ozpin sighed.

“I can already tell this will be a long day…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have any of you noticed how Ozpin and Roman use names?  
> I'm planning on writing a drabble explaining why those two are so particular over the names they use with others, but the short and narrow of it is names are a very intimate thing for each of them for different reasons.  
> This was written mostly as a kind of "Let's add a bit more unnecessary detail".  
> That and I wanted to practice writing the Team dynamics when Ruby is out of it. Even after 3 years together, the ladies still find themselves disagree at times. (Though this may be different 'cause Ruby's sick and they're all worried).


	6. Ruby/Roman: Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #6: Fall  
> Pairing: Ruby/Roman  
> Part 1 of 3

Everything echoed in this place. Their footsteps, her pounding heart, her labored breath. Everything resonated and shot back at her twice as loud and terrified.

She was so scared she’d make a mistake here, so scared she was wrong in what she was doing. But she had to try, didn’t she? Everyone deserved a second chance and that’s exactly what she wanted to give.

The guard beside her said nothing, eyes dead ahead as he lead her down the rows of containers, each holding some form of criminal. She wondered if he was ever bothered by the echo, by the sound of himself whispering back at him in the creepiest fashion possible.

“We’re here.”

She jolted out of her reverie and looked up at the guard, focusing as his words registered. She turned and faced the container, her heart thundering in her chest as she realized what that meant.

“O-Oh.”

The guard watched her for a moment before stepping forward to the keypad, punching in numbers. The container hissed before sliding open, light from the hall shining into the dim cell.

“Well, well, look who it is. Little Miss Red.”

She flinched at the sound of his voice, fear roaring through her system along with the briefest twinges of anger. She shoved all her feelings down and aside, swallowing the lump in her throat down with the bitter taste left in her mouth.

She stepped forward into the cell, motioning for the guard to close it behind her. She took deep, measured breaths, her silver eyes meeting his emerald green ones.

“Hey there, friend.”

Roman snorted, then broke out into laughter. He felt sharper, harshers. He was all angles and knife points that could cut. She noticed he was thinner, and felt a familiar worry bubble in her chest. Worry was good. Worry was natural, and caring.

“Have you been getting enough to eat?”

Roman snorted again, crossing his arms and pressing himself against the wall. He was like a caged animal, volatile and desperate, but he knew better than to attack. He just wanted to know why she was here.

“This is prison, Red. I get fed once a day until my trial. They don’t care if I happen to starve to death along the way.”

“Th-that’s not true! I’m sure General Ironwood-.”

“Why are you here, Red?”

Ruby blinked, dropping her gaze down to her boots. The left one was going to untie itself. She wrung her hands, cracking her knuckles out of habit.

“I… I don’t know.”

“Did Ozpin send you? Or you here for your kitty-cat friend? Sent you here to mock? To gloat?”

“N-No! Never! I came on my own.”

“Then what do you want, Red?!”

Ruby began to feel panic well in her chest. He was getting angry, dangerous. He had sat up straight now, hands balled into fists, pressed tight against his legs. She didn’t quite know what she expected. Sarcasm, witty comments, all of those things. But not the anger, not the fear so brightly coloring his face. He was scared of her, but he was doing a damn good job not letting it show.

“What’s your favorite color?!”

Roman paused, and blinked. His energy deflated, his shoulders sagging. Ruby shifted her weight and looked at him, half expecting him to not answer, and half hoping he’d cooperate with her.

“Orange.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause of my hair- I don’t know why Red! I just like orange.”

“Oh.”

Silence permeated the air, drenching the cell with a sticky hesitance. Neither wanted to speak, but looked imploringly at each other. 

“So, let me guess- Your favorite color is red.”

“Yeah. Well, red and… Green.”

Roman furrowed his eyebrows, head tilting slightly as he looked at her. He gave a light laugh.

“Like Christmas. Of course.”

Ruby shrugged, but blushed.

“I have only one clear memory of my mom. It was Christmas. She made me my cape while sitting by the Christmas tree.”

“Oh.”

Both were quiet again, though they weren’t tense and hostile. It was an open silence, inviting either to spill their secrets.

“Oranges. I liked oranges as a kid.”

Ruby perked up and looked over at him, smiling hopefully. Roman was refusing to look at her, arms and legs crossed as he sat back and stared down at his shoes. They had let him keep his normal outfit, minus his beloved hat and cane.

“It made sense, growing up, that my favorite color should be orange.”

Ruby bounced on her toes excitedly, her arms swinging at her sides so they wouldn’t flail in the air. She was almost 18, she didn’t need to make herself look younger than she already was.

“What was it like for you, growing up?”

At this question, Roman shut down. His eyes narrowed and he glared at the ground in front of Ruby. His caged animal attitude came back in full swing, knocking the air right out of Ruby’s lungs.

“That is none of your goddamn business, Red.”

Ruby collapsed in herself, wrapping her arms around her waist so she wouldn’t flinch. She kept steady and strong. She knew she had just hit a sensitive wound and didn’t know how to deal with the damage.

“I’m sorry.”

Roman only snarled at her apology, but it took out a good chunk of his bite. He deflated again, the life draining out of his eyes. He didn’t need the reason for him being locked up digging into his personal life. She had no right.

“Just leave already, Red. I’m done with you.”

Ruby nodded. Despite everything, a small ember of hope burned in her chest. He had opened up just barely, just briefly. Maybe if she kept at it, she could do it. She could give him a second chance.

She took a step back and knocked against the cell door.

“Hey, I’m ready to come out now.”

A bit of shuffling, a few soft beeps, and the door slip open yet again. She started to walk out, hand resting against the doorframe as she considered her next words.

“I’m going to talk to General Ironwood.”

“Whoop-de-doo Red. Why you telling me?”

“Because…”

She chewed on her lip. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to do this yet. Maybe she could settle for something else. Better to wait.

“Because I’ll convince him to feed you more. Any requests?”

Roman snorted, but seemed to weigh her words carefully. His voice came out soft, and wistful, but she heard him clearly enough.

“Oranges…?”

Ruby smiled.

“That’s a given. Later, Roman.”

********

Ironwood paced the office, one hand rubbing his face while the other rested on his hip. He felt too young for this job sometimes, and he felt like this job made him too old other times. He had greys in his hairs when he was barely older than Glynda, who was just as pretty as when he met her 25 years ago.

“Ruby, do you have any idea what you’re asking?”

She chewed her bottom lip again, the skin peeled off and turning a bright red from blood.

“I know it’s crazy-”

“Try “stupid”-”

“But I really think it’d be worth a shot!”

“You want me to let Roman Torchwick go! That’s a ludicrous idea, Ruby Rose, and I can name one major reason why!”

“General, I understand he’s a criminal-”

“He’s more than a criminal! He’s a dangerous criminal! Who’s currently working with some very powerful people!”

“General, please, just listen to me!”

“Ruby, this is the end of the discussion! There’s no way I’m doing this, what you’re asking is moronic and senseless and-!”

“Can you please just put your big, fat ego aside for five minutes and listen to me?!”

Ironwood clamped his mouth shut, taken aback by the surge of anger coming from Ruby. She had abruptly stood, and while Ironwood still managed to tower way overhead of her, Ruby seemed to dwarf the General in presence and size.

Ruby gave a sigh and sat back down in her seat, rubbing at her forehead as a headache began to bloom just beneath the surface.

“I know what he’s done. No one knows what he’s done better than I. But I think he deserves a second chance. I’ve heard him say how he’s had no choice in this deal before. I think Roman is just a fly stuck in the spider’s web. So if we just, give him a chance, and wrangle him free from the web, he can be a true asset!”

“Ruby, I’m not letting-”

“You don’t have to let him go! Just, negotiate. Strike a deal with him. Come up with terms of agreement and code of conduct. His employers probably know he’s been captured, but they expect him to keep all his secrets. We couldn’t let him go without raising up a fuss and a lot of suspicion.”

“What are you saying Ruby?”

“Give me a few weeks with him. Let me visit him and talk to him. If I can convince him to join our side, he’ll offer up a deal.”

Ironwood stayed silent, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. He watched Ruby for a few moments, noticing how desperate and scared she was.

“Why are you so particular about this man?”

Ruby’s face shut down and she moved her gaze from Ironwood to her hands, clasped tightly in her lap.

“Because no one deserves to die.”

A light bulb flashed above his head. Torchwick, because of his crimes, was scheduled for the death sentence. Though, that required holding an actual trial, and because they were “technically” at war, that was to wait until their foe was well and truly defeated. Be it minutes or years.

“You’re that confident they’ll kill him? This… War could drag on for decades.”

Ruby shook her head.

“No one will wait for a proper trial for him. No one else knows we’re at war. I didn’t know we were at war. They see a criminal. They see someone who should die.”

Ironwood nodded, sighing.

“4 weeks. You visit everyday. If you cannot convince him by then, well…”

“I understand.”

“Do you Ruby? If Roman does end up making this deal, you’ll be the one held accountable for anything he does.”

“... Meaning?”

“If Roman hurts anyone, you’re both going back to jail.”

Ruby swallowed, but nodded. This was the price to pay to give Roman a second chance. Regret and fear wormed their ways into her throat and mouth, stilling her tongue and making it difficult to speak. But that small ember of hope continued to burn in her chest. Some part of her, big and bright and beautiful and naive, believed that Roman was more than a criminal.

And she would do anything to keep him off the chopping block.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is part 1 of 3. Afterwords, there will be another 3 parter, and afterwords it should remain one-shots.  
> This first 3-part series deals with Roman and Ruby developing their relationship.  
> The next 3-part series is about Ruby and Ozpin.  
> Also, if anyone has any specific ships they want to see, let me know. I'm willing to give it a shot.


	7. Ruby/Roman: Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #7: Falling  
> Pairing: Ruby/Roman  
> Part 2 of 3

*Day 2*

Roman wasn’t sure what he expected.

After the visit from Ruby the other day, he kind of hoped she’d come back. A large part of him still reigned supreme and knew that if she indeed came back to visit again, he’d relive those angry and bitter thoughts. It was her fault he was in this place, left to rot until Cinder or Ironwood or Ozpin offed each other.

He grumbled and rubbed at his face with the butt of his palm, inhaling the stale air. Ruby had kept true to her word, though. Evening had rolled around the other day, and Ironwood made his usual appearance, though he carried a tray of food with him.

Ironwood had set it on the bench, next to Roman, and took a step back, leaning against the same spot of wall Red had occupied. Roman tried not to appear excited, but at a glance down to the tray, he saw it was better than the usual slop he was given. Right beside his drink, as well, were 3 small slices of orange.

He looked up at Ironwood in confusion, reaching for the food. Ironwood nodded, before sighing and shaking his head, muttering to himself. Roman remained somewhat dignified as he dug into his food, but after weeks with tiny, singular meals, he couldn’t help pigging out.

“I see Red kept true to her word.”

“I don’t get what she sees in you. Goes to all this trouble…”

Roman glanced up, seeing Ironwood look bitter and angry. Well, that wasn’t new, but it seemed like it wasn’t directed entirely at him.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see. I have a feeling you’ll be seeing Ruby Rose quite a bit more now.”

“Why? What’s she want with me?”

Ironwood didn’t answer, instead he tapped on the door and left Roman’s cell.

Since then, Roman spent the majority of his time pondering what Red could possibly want with him. If she was trying to learn any information about Cinder and the others, he wasn’t gonna spill. They were going to break him out eventually, he was sure of that. Spilling would result in death. Besides, even if he did give up the others, he was still going to be killed. There was no way he’d win by giving up the ghost.

The door opened again and he lazily looked up. Red stood in the doorway again, a firm look of determination in place. Her eyes shined platinum in the low light, and the red highlights of her hair blazed like fire. His own eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he leaned back, crossing his ankles and arms.

“Well, well. Look who’s back. Couldn’t live without seeing my handsome face?”

He had expected her to just scoff, or ignore him, or do that little bashful denial routine. When she gave a light laugh, her smile easy and gentle, he found himself at a loss for words.

“I felt like seeing you again. That so bad?”

Roman shrugged, grumbling.

“I also wanted to ask, what’s your favorite type of cookie?”

Roman narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. How much more childish can this girl get?

“Sorry to disappoint, Red, but I ain’t one for sweets.”

Red gave a mock gasp, eyes wide as she covered her mouth in horror.

“How dare you offend me so! And after I went to all the trouble of baking you cookies, slaving over a hot oven!”

Roman barked out an unwilling laugh, scolding himself internally for finding her joke funny. Red produced a bag from behind her, the smell of sweets filling the air.

“I wasn’t joking Red. Though, it’s been years since I’ve had a cookie.”

Red tossed the bag at him, watching him fluidly catch it and tear it open. She had spent the time to bake an assortment. It had mostly been a whim to bake so many, but once she got started, she couldn’t stop. She briefly wondered if it had been some form of stress baking, before shaking those thoughts out of her head and taking a seat on her floor.

“This should last me a good long while. You shouldn’t have, Red.”

“Ruby. You can call me Ruby. That’s my name.”

Roman scoffed, rolling his eyes as a the teensiest smirk crossed his lips.

“I know what your name is, Red. I’ll decide when I’ll give you the pleasure of hearing it come out my lips.”

Red shrugged, legs crossed as she smiled warmly up at him. Roman felt his suspicion rise up again. He narrowed his eyes, looking at her darkly. The light atmosphere dropped, but Ruby kept her smile in place and he found his expression softening.

“What are you here for, Red? What do you want from me?”

“I just wanted to talk. I felt like you needed a buddy.”

“I’m not one for idle chatter, Red. I’ve got better things to do with my time.”

“Like what, count the hairs on your legs?”

Roman looked at Red in bewilderment as she laughed uproariously. He shook his head, eyebrow raised as he waited for her to calm down and explain what was so funny.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s an inside joke between me and my sister.”

“Spare me the details.”

“Nope! You’ll hear all about it sometime soon.”

“Sometime soon?”

“Yup! I’m gonna be visiting you for the next couple days and I want to learn all about you!”

Roman’s expression darkened again. He stared at the bag of cookies, pulling one out and breaking it in half.

“I’m not telling you anything about me, Red. You should damn well know that.”

Ruby floundered for a moment, her hands waving in the air a bit frantically.

“W-Well, that’s okay! I’ll tell you all about my family! I can tell you about Patch, and my dad, and Zwei, and all my old friends, and the time Yang- my sister- got caught in a tree, and-!”

Roman finally laughed, his expression lightening now that he knew he was in the clear. For now.

“Alright, alright, calm yourself. How about you start at the beginning?”

Ruby bounced in her seat, nodding excitedly. Roman sat back, hands clasped behind his head, as Red talked away.

“I grew up on a little island, just off the coast of Vale, called Patch…”

 

*******

*Day 4*

“And then Noire started choking on his milk, but Yang kept going! Then, just as I finished doing Sterling’s makeup…!”

Laughter rang out from the cell. Ironwood held back silent chuckles, glancing at the guard who had a small smile on their face.

 

*******

*Day 7*

“So, Uncle Qrow just punched him! Yang wasn’t happy, ‘cause she wanted a chance at the sucker, but Dad was holding her ba-.”

“I had a brother.”

“... What was his name?”

“Ember. Ember Torchwick.”

“That’s a lovely name.”

“He loved it as a kid. I… Continue with your story.”

“Oh, okay. Just, Dad was holding Yang back, and I…”

 

********

*Day 12*

“What were your parent’s names?”

“Dad was Bayard, mom was Oriane.”

“Those are pretty. What colors were they associated with?”

“Bayard was a reddish-brown, Oriane was gold.”

“Wow. They’re both really pretty.”

“Mom had a heart of gold to match her name. Dunno about dad. I knew him for a good while. He died when I was about 10. Mom raised Ember and I.”

“What happened to your mom and Ember?”

“...”

“Nevermind.”

 

********

*Day 16*

“Ember’s alive, in Vacuo. Mom died.”

“I won’t look for them, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, no I know you won’t. I… Nevermind.”

“Roman?”

“Yeah, Red?”

“I know.”

 

********

*Day 17(?)*

Roman gave a shuddering sigh, burying his face in his hands. It was the middle of the night, probably mere hours before he was brought his usual breakfast, but he couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t stop thinking.

Did she know what she was doing? Did she truly know what he was going to say to her in that moment? He wanted to be angry, but some small part of him really couldn’t blame himself. She was Red. She was Ruby Rose.

 

He trusted her.

 

His nails dug into his hair and gave a small tug, a jolt of pain racing down his spine. He was stupid, but at the same time, a tiny feeling of hope bloomed in his chest. It had been a good long while since he had felt this way.

He wanted to be angry.

But he couldn’t muster up the energy.

Hours passed, and when the door opened, Ironwood stood with a tray of food in hand and the guards right behind him.

“I feel it is time we had a talk, Torchwick.”

 

********

*Day 17*

Ruby had a skip to her step, waving at guards as she made her way down.

She was proud of the progress she was making with Roman. He was more open towards her, and more willing to talk. He didn’t shut down as often. She felt that, within a few more days, she could possibly broach the topic of a deal. Roman was still stubbornly quiet about who he worked for, but if he was getting close enough to say, “I trust you”, then that had to be a good start.

She rounded the corner just in time to see guards outside of Roman’s cell. Her heart stopped cold, noticing they were General Ironwood’s personal guards. She forgoed the skipping and instead sprinted the rest of the way.

There was yelling, curses being slung like mud and it looked to be more guards had joined the fray, pulling forcibly at someone as if trying to drag them back into the cell. As she arrived at the scene, Ironwood stumbled out, his face one of unadulterated rage and anger.

“You can stay in there and rot for all I care! I extend an olive branch and you snap it over your knee!”

Ruby came to stop before Ironwood, eyes wide and fearful. She took in his appearance and reached forward to try and straighten him out, though he slapped her hands away with a scoff and fixed the damage himself.

“General Ironwood, what happened?! What’d you do?!”

“What did I do?! I offered him a deal! And he blew up in my face! Dammit, Miss Rose, I expected progress at this point.”

Her eyes widened and she floundered for a moment, searching for words.

“B-But I was suppose to tell you when he was ready! I-If you had given it a few more days-.”

“We’re running out of time, Ruby! The people want him dead. The Council, Ozpin, and I can only hold them off for so long.”

She swallowed thickly, tears building at the back of her eyes, but she refused to cry. She took a few deep breaths, clasping her hands together.

“Let me in to talk to him! Maybe I can smooth things over.”

“If you insist on this useless venture, take another one of the guards in. He’s been restrained by two already.”

Ruby whimpered, hands lightly shaking at the thought of Roman being treated like a dangerous criminal. He wasn’t! He was someone caught in a web. He was someone who needed help, and she could offer that help. She rushed forward and inputted the code to let her in. The door slide open and she felt the dread coil tightly at the very pit of her stomach.

“Wel-l-l-l-l, if it isn’t Little Red! We really should meet on better terms, where you’re the one chained up, and I haven’t had a knife stabbed in my back.”

He voice was saturated with anger, dripping with the sarcasm he used to hide the hurt. He was yanking harshly at the restraints that only pinned his wrist and forearm to the wall. His one visible eye was narrowed in contempt.

“Roman, I-!”

“Can it Red! I’m not going to listen to another word out of your mouth! Here I thought I’d finally met someone with no ulterior motives, only to find out you’ve been hired by the General “Stick-Up-His-Ass” to convince me to join up on your side!”

“Roman, please, I promise it wasn’t just that!”

“Just? Just?! So there’s more you wanted from me?!”

“That came out wrong, I’m sorry-!”

“I’m sorry too, Red. Sorry I had to waste my time listening to your god damn stories when I couldn’t care less about any of it!”

Ruby flinched, tears welling, but Roman wasn’t done, too lost in his anger and hurt.

“I never cared about your stories, your family, your god damn dog, and I especially never cared about you! You can go rot for all I care and I’ll live a happier day with your face out of my sight! Now go play with your toys, you little girl.”

She felt herself trembling and shaking, sniffing pathetically. The quiet, rational part of her knew he was just hurt and scared and reacting, because that’s what he did. Always reacted before he thought. But the overwhelming part of her was hurt- devastated- by all he had said.

She wanted to kick and scream and thrash, to fight him against everything he said about her and prove him wrong. Instead, she wiped away her tears and took a few shuddering breaths.

“I’m sorry, Roman.”

He watched her walk out of the cell, still sniffling like a child. He was frozen to the core, but his skin felt feverish as he still buzzed with adrenaline. He didn’t mean a word he said, but he was so positive that she had betrayed him, so sure that she had befriended him purely so they could use him, he felt everything slip out the opposite.

He loved her stories. He thought her family was interesting. He wanted to meet Zwei, though he’d never admit it.

He cared about her.

He said nothing, panting heavily as everything drained out of him. He felt hollow, heart and stomach, for he had tossed his breakfast back in Ironwood’s face. That he didn’t regret doing up until now.

What had he done?

 

********

*Day 18*

She still came the next day, though she didn’t come into his cell.

He was still restrained back to the wall, hand fed when meals came around. They couldn’t keep him like this forever, but they certainly would for as long as they could.

He still felt angry, but he wanted to talk, to figure out why she had done what she had done. He didn’t speak though, betrayal the first word that still danced at the tip of his tongue.

He heard her press her back against the metal door of his cell and listened as she slid down and came to a seat on the floor. He could imagine her all curled up into a ball, or with her legs splayed out and her head tilted back.

Both were quiet.

 

********

*Day 22*

They took the restraints off. He took to sitting on the floor, back to back with Ruby.

She took to humming, and sometimes he recognized the tune.

When he did, he hummed back.

 

********

*Day 25*

She would speak quietly, and to herself. Never directly at him.

Mostly idle chatter about her Team and her classes. There were no more stories, and she always glossed over her sister.

He always listened intently.

 

********

*Day 27*

She went to take her usual seat outside the door, but Roman spoke before she did.

“Ruby…?”

She hesitated to answer, before nodding. When she realized he couldn’t see her, she swallowed down her fear and spoke.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“Will you come in?”

She breathed a sigh of relief, having been waiting for when he’d (literally) invite her back in. She stood up straight and entered the code. The door slid open like usual, revealing one Roman Torchwick sitting on the opposite side, hunched over on the bench.

He didn’t look any different, and it appeared that he still got two meals a day even after their fight. She let the door close behind her, though her knees very faintly quivered. She was brought back to the first day she had been in this cell with him, though she had been afraid for an entirely different reason.

Before, she had been afraid of him.

Now, she was afraid for him.

“Ruby.”

“Yeah?”

“Tell me why.”

“Why what?”

“Tell me why you wanted to befriend me.”

The grip of fear loosened very gently and she took a steadying breath when she realized she could breathe easier.

“You were sentenced to death.”

“I still am.”

“Alright, you are sentenced to death.”

He gave a brief smile, a phantom compared to what she used to see. It fell away, but he seemed to loosen, his pose relaxing just the barest hint.

“What does my death sentence have to do with anything?”

“Because… I didn’t want you to die.”

He looked up at her, eyebrow arched in surprise. She took a seat on the floor, against the door. She splayed her legs out and tilted her head back, eyes trained on the ceiling.

“I didn’t think you deserved to die. I remember how you used to talk about how you didn’t want to take orders, and how you were unwilling in all of this. I just thought… A victim shouldn’t have to die because of they were hurt by the real abuser.”

“I’m no victim, Red.”

“To me, you were. Are. I believed you deserved a second chance, is all. To convince the General, I had to say you were useful. In all actuality, I doubt you could, or would, tell us anything. We can’t guarantee your own safety, can we?”

He didn’t answer, but the silence was more than enough.

“I figured, I could be your friend. Then, when we were all chummy, I’d convince you to strike a deal. I don’t know what kind or anything like that. You’re better at that kind of stuff. But I knew the deal would end up with you walking away, happy to live your life and help us.”

“You weren’t trying to recruit me?”

Ruby scoffed, pulling her knees to her chest and supporting her head by the palm of her hand.

“I know you enough now to say that if I was trying, it wouldn’t have worked. You’re not evil, like the people we’re fighting. You’re on your side, and sometimes that aligns with someone else. I was just hoping you could be aligned with us a bit more.”

“Oh.”

Silence followed quickly enough and the pair waited for the other to speak. Ruby watched Roman, eyes tracing over him worriedly. She had meant every word she spoke, and every word had been the truth. All she had wanted was to keep him safe from death row.

All she had wanted was to become his friend.

Roman sat up, digging the butt of his palm into his eyes. He groaned and stretched, bending this way and that. He looked back down at Ruby, and slowly, a smile crossed his lips. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept for the past few days. Had that been her fault?

“Hey, Ruby?”

She jolted at the use of her name, but nodded, waving her hand for him to continue.

“I think you should go.”

She deflated, mouth dropping in worry. She thought things were fine now, that they had solved their differences and issues, but was she wrong? Did she learn nothing about him over the past few days?

Roman’s own expression softened and he smiled again, one with a bit more energy and assurance.

“It’ll be okay, I promise. Just come back in a few hours, okay? Have lunch with Ice Queen, give Zwei a couple doggy treats. Buy Kitty-Cat some tuna.”

Ruby pouted for a moment, before standing. She left without a word, but as the door closed shut, she turned and looked at him over her shoulder. At the sight of the smile slowly evolving into a smirk, her own grin returned, and she left with a little bit more hop in her step.

***  


“Hey, Ironwood. Let’s make a deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is waaaay longer than every other drabble, but I felt it had the most to say?  
> Like, this story kind of explains where the build of their relationship began.  
> And if it seemed random when Roman would interject and say something, it's because he plucked up the courage to be able to say those things. If he didn't say them then, he'd never say them at all.  
> But the next piece will be the final of the trio, and then we move onto Ozpin.  
> Afterwords, who knows.  
> A little birdy mentioned OzQrow to me~


	8. Ruby/Roman: Fell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #8: Fell  
> Pairing: Roman/Ruby  
> Part 3 of 3

“Where we goin’ Red?”

“Just follow me, alright? C’mon, keep up!”

Roman only gave a small laugh, pushing aside branches as he tried to keep up with the woman in red. He really couldn’t be blamed for lagging behind- Ruby had her speed, and seemed like she knew where she was going. Roman, like always, was just a companion to all of her mischief and mayhem.

It had been a few months since his deal with Ironwood. It took a few hours of discussion, and even more of unsavory yelling, but they managed to work it out. Ruby had been right though- Roman was able to manipulate the situation enough that he could walk away relatively scott free. They had some help with Neo, though she was a bit bitter about aligning against their employers. She still played her part, and he made sure they stayed in touch.

Explaining everything to his clients and employers was a risky job. It took a bit of dancing around his imprisonment, but he managed to convince everyone he was still on their side and working as an inside informant.

“Roman, watch out!”

Roman popped out of his thoughts, ducking in time as a branch swung overhead. It missed him by a hair, instead whacking off his bowler hat. Roman glared up at Ruby, who gave a sheepish smile and waited patiently for him to pick up and dust off his hat. Once she saw him stand up straight again, she grinned and bounced on her toes.

“C’mon, we’re almost there, I promise!”

Roman rolled his eyes, but continued to dutifully follow her, eyes softening once she had turned her back and couldn’t see him. The trees eventually parted and they came to a clearing.

“Cheesy, isn’t this, Red?”

Ruby fumbled and shuffled nervously, waving her hands in the air.

“What- No! I-It’s not like th-that!”

Roman felt something in his chest twinge when she said that, but he held fast to his hope. He couldn’t see her very well, but her expression was bashful, and that, honestly, was more than enough to keep his hope alive.

When Ruby started forward, Roman followed without hesitation, though he trailed behind in a casual manner. He was curious as to what they were doing there, heart beating heavily in his chest, which he cursed silently. Roman wasn’t about to be reduced to a lovesick schoolboy.

Ruby came to the middle of the clearing, smiled at Roman, before flopping unceremoniously onto her back. Roman panicked briefly, thinking she had just decided to up and die, until he reached her side and she began to laugh lightly.

“Lie down with me, Roman!”

“Red, you’re getting cheesier by the minute.”

Ruby pouted as he said that, though it turned into a wide grin as he laid down on the ground beside her, placing his bowler hat over her face. Ruby sputtered and pulled the hat off, sitting up so she could glare down at him.

“Hey!”

“Oh, yeah, could you hold onto that?”

She grumbled and he flashed a grin, one she returned when she was done pretending to be mad.

“So, why are we lying down in the middle of the forest again?”

“Well, I figured, after months of being locked up, it might be nice to go out into the wilderness.”

“I’m a city rat, Red, I don’t do the whole “grass” and “trees” thing.”

“Whatever. Y’know you could have just said something. We can go, if you want.”

“No, we’re staying, get that butt back down here.”

They both laughed and laid in the grass. Roman wouldn’t dare admit it, but he did appreciate getting out of the city. More specifically, Ironwood’s grasp. Despite willingly entering into that lion’s den, it didn’t mean that Roman had to like what he found in there. Ironwood really knew how to push his buttons, and he was constantly breathing down his neck. If it weren’t for Ruby, Roman was sure he would have bailed ages ago.

“Hey, you’re thinking about bad things. Stop it.”

Ruby poked the side of his forehead, nudging him out of his reverie. He felt a touch grateful, because he knew he was getting bitter, and didn’t want to spoil the rare time he had with Ruby.

“How do you know I’m thinking about bad things?”

“Cause you get a look on your face. Like you’re about to stab something with a rusty spork.”

“How do you know I wasn’t thinking about you?”

Ruby flicked his nose, laughing as he flinched back and batted her hand away.

“Cause you thinking about me would be silly.”

She laughed to herself and looked back up towards the broken moon and stars. Roman frowned deeply, annoyed she would lower her own value, but didn’t voice it. He knew she’d just argue about it even more. He knew on the rough occasion, she still questioned if she was a worthy enough leader for her team. (Which she was, Schnee be damned).

“Hey, Roman?”

“Yeah, Red?”

“I need some advice.”

“Burn the body and run Vacuo.”

“Wh-No! Roman, this is serious.”

Her tone had turned a bit embarrassed once she admitted that the subject was a “serious” matter. He was quiet for a moment as he thought. If she was embarrassed about this, then it couldn’t be life-or-death, but something she was teased over a lot.

“Alright, I’ll listen, Ruby.”

Her lips (which he most certainly were not staring at) twitched into a smile before it fell away.

“You promise you won’t laugh?”

“Ruby, I promise.”

She sighed and covered her eyes with one of her hands, trying to find the words to explain. Eventually, she just decided to be blunt.

“There’s someone I like.”

Roman felt his heart stop and cold dread coil at the bottom of his stomach. He inhaled sharply, but Ruby didn’t seem to have heard it. While he still felt the shock and fear run through his system, his stomach twisted itself into new knots for a different reason. Could she mean…?

“Tell me about him.”

Ruby gave a smirk, but didn’t look his way.

“How did you know he’s a he?”

“I didn’t.”

“God dammit, Roman.”

“Oh, my virgin ears, did I hear Miss Ruby Rose swear?!”

She snorted and giggled and he felt himself warming up. Hope thudded beside his heart. God dammit, Roman Torchwick was not a lovesick schoolboy.

“That’s something he would say. He’s always so eloquent.”

“Oh?”

“Well, yeah. Somehow he always knows what to say when I’m down. Especially after a bad day with Weiss.”

Roman remembered a good majority of those days. Even though the team were closer than anyone else, they still but heads and disagree. Especially after Weiss confessed to a crush to Ruby, but that was a can of worms they didn’t need to open again.

“What else do you like about him?”

“He’s not too overly fond of sweets. At least I think so. He always gave me some.”

He didn’t like sweets. A cookie and hot cocoa, sure, but not to the extreme of one Ruby Rose.

“His voice is pretty nice as well…”

He wasn’t a suave gentleman for nothing.

“I don’t know him that well, though, that’s the bit that’s bugging me.”

“What do you mean, Ruby?”

“Well, there’s still a lot left to discover about him. Like his favorite season…”

Spring.

“Or if he prefers black or white…”

Black, because it suits her best, and he always preferred the shadows. Though, his signature white coat said otherwise.

“Or his favorite Grimm to fight!”

Beowolves, though he found Nevermores an excellent challenge.

He had turned his head to fully look at her. She had remained in the same position, though her hand did gravitate towards her hair, fingers tangled in the black and red locks. She kept her eyes to the sky, though she looked somewhat more wistful.

This really could be…

Her other hand still lingered by her side, palm up.

“What do I do, Roman?”

His hand inched towards her.

“I don’t know, Ruby. You never know with these kinds of situations.”

She didn’t respond, still looking unsure up at the broken moon.

Hand inched closer still.

“But, from what it sounds like, you’ve got it bad.”

Maybe as bad as him.

She grumbled as her form of protesting, but still didn’t say anything. She was thinking, it was obvious. He briefly entertained the idea that she was plucking up courage, but you never could tell with her.

“I think you should give it a chance. Give him a chance.”

He glanced down and saw his fingers about to brush her hand.

Ruby sat up suddenly, grin on her face.

“Yeah, you’re right! Tomorrow, I’ll confront him!”

Roman felt everything in him sink deep into the ground, draining every bit of energy he had. Of course. He wondered briefly who the lucky bastard was, but knew it really didn’t matter. He couldn’t do anything about this.

Roman sat up as well, eyes downcast as he refused to look at Ruby. She was busy chattering away about how she was going to do it, how she going to admit her feelings. He wanted to pay attention, but at the moment he just wanted to wallow in his own misery and get back to what they had before.

So much for hope.

“Thank you so much Roman! We should head back, it’s late, and I don’t wanna get yelled at by Ironwood, last time that happened I was drinking-...”

She had stood up, her hands waving in the air like they always did when she got excited. Roman felt a surge of something- courage? desperation?- and he stood quickly, reaching for Ruby’s arm.

“Ruby, wait-!”

Ruby whirled around and was before him in the blink of an eye, a flourish of rose petals appearing in the air before floating down. A few decorated her hair and shoulders.

“What is it Roman? Everything okay?”

Nothing felt okay.

He was being dramatic, but the world felt like it was crashing down. Like the earth was swallowing him whole, and he was handed the pieces of the moon and expected to fix it when nothing could undo that damage.

He wanted to be angry at her, at the one who stole her attention, and more specifically, himself. He wanted to yell at her, but kiss her button nose and pull her hood over her face. He had dared to want more than what he already had, and because of that, he was paying the price.

He always was a selfish bastard.

“I just…”

She waited expectantly, somewhat surprised that Roman was at a loss for words. He always had a witty comeback or a sarcastic response to anything and everything, plucking words out of thin air and arranging them like vase a flowers.

“I… What time is it?”

Ruby blinked and pulled out her scroll, glancing at the clock before shoving it back into the pocket on her combat skirt.

“A bit past midnight. Why?”

He swallowed and wanted to laugh. He remembered the date suddenly and figured he had an out to this entire awkward situation. Awkward for him at least. He knew Ruby wouldn’t think anything of it.

“Are you already old enough to have forgotten your own birthday?”

Ruby’s eyes widened and she pulled out her scroll again, checking the date with a disbelieving grin.

“Oh my goodness!”

He smirked, a mixture of genuine and fake.

“Happy 18th birthday, Red. Don’t do anything I would do.”

She snickered, gave him a light punch on the arm, and lead the way out of the woods.

So much for hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone else had that moment where you thought someone was going to confess to a crush on you and you had that sense of panic, but at the same time, (if you liked them back, that is), you felt so inexplicably happy and excited?  
> Me neither.  
> (I kid, I kid).  
> An Ozpin trilogy should be coming up next.  
> I left this ending ambiguous purely because, if you don't enjoy Ruby/Roman/Ozpin, you could read this as a stand alone. But if you like Ruby/Roman/Ozpin, and have read the previous drabbles, you know this is all *somewhat* interconnected.  
> I know these are suppose to be drabbles, but leave me alone.  
> (You may be wondering about the details of Roman's deal. So am I. I don't have high enough clearance to know)


	9. Qrow/Summer: Good for Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drabble #9: Good for Him  
> Pairing: Qrow/Summer (sorta?)

“Can we talk?”

 

He felt a cold wash of dread settle in the pit of his stomach. He turned his gaze from his little niece playing on the carpet to her adoptive mother. Already he got the sense he wasn’t drunk enough to talk with the woman.

 

“About?”

 

She glanced around nervously, scanning for one Sun Dragon. Qrow squashed the petty jealousy before he could let it surface. They had parted on good terms. There was no reason to be jealous. There was absolutely no reason to be jealous.

 

He felt the need to take a shot every time he told himself those words.

 

“He’s not here, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

 

Her silver eyes flickered to him and she finally took one last glance around the rest of the room. She smiled briefly at little Yang, who was managing to keep herself busy. She grabbed Qrow by the arm and dragged him towards the kitchen.

 

Qrow felt the tiniest bit of hope bloom in his chest- _maybe she regrets all of it_ \- but squashed it as fast as it came. Nothing good ever came from hoping.

 

The same with luck, hard work, and bottom shelf liquor.

 

Once in the kitchen, Summer gestured for Qrow to take a seat at the table, leaning against the counter. Her hands were clenched in a white-knuckled death grip, pressed against the linoleum. Whatever was going on, it absolutely could not be good.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Summer took a few deep breaths, swaying on her feet.

 

“I’m pregnant.”

 

He froze. Everything within him shut down and his face remained an impassive neutral as the whirlwind inside took over. Emotions warred and he tried to put a name to each one of them- _jealousy, anger, sadness, regret, joy_ \- until finally the storm in his head stopped howling.

 

Summer didn’t look relieved at this news. He could make a partial assumption- silver eyes never had the easiest of pregnancies. It was the reason for their rarity. He mentally flipped through his cue cards to figure out what reaction was appropriate.

 

“Good for Taiyang.”

 

Summer flinched and the pit in his stomach lodged itself well into place as she spoke her next words of-

 

“It’s not Taiyang’s.”

 

Process.

 

He couldn’t help the feeling of sick triumph- _he was a bastard, he really was a greedy, selfish bastard_ \- along with the inklings of joy and excitement.

 

All of those were killed when he looked back at the wedding ring that wasn’t his.

 

_Bastard. Sick, greedy, selfish, thoughtless bastard of a father-_.

 

He licked his lips. He can do this. Summer looked every emotion he was feeling. She looked excited and happy to be a mother to her own child- _“Yang is perfect, and I’d be happy to only have her, but”_ \- yet the monkey wrench this all threw into her life plan, that needed to be addressed. The fear, the anxiety, the dread.

 

A silver eyed pregnancy would be the least of their worries if the child came out with red ones.

 

“Have you and Taiyang…?”

 

Summer looked confused for a moment before her eyes widened. She blushed, stamped her foot, and glared at Qrow.

 

“Of course!”

 

Qrow flinched at those words. He almost didn’t want her to say them, but knew it’d make their lives easier. Well, that is…

 

“Are you going to tell him?”

 

Summer rubbed her arms, biting her lip close to bleeding.

 

“We should, shouldn’t we?”

 

The room hung with tension and unspoken words. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was running through Summer’s head, which was good because Qrow had never been the smart one of the group. He rubbed his face with the butt of his palm and sighed.

 

Summer mirrored his gestures, covering her mouth with her hand. She looked close to tears, close to a total meltdown. Qrow hadn’t seen her like this ever since Raven ran away and Taiyang was locked up in his room. Raven leaving had hurt everyone in the group, but Qrow and Summer let Taiyang visibly grieve. They didn’t want to add their heartbreak onto his.

 

Qrow stood from his chair and closed the distance between the pair of them. When he stood right in front of Summer, he only held his arms open, giving her a chance to back off if she needed the space. She didn’t hesitate going in for a hug, letting Qrow hold her for the time being.

 

He didn’t say anything as Summer cried out her fears, keeping an eye on Yang, who still played with her toys in the next room over. Qrow continued to hold Summer even after her tears had been spent. He swayed back and forth, leading her into a stationary dance.

 

“Here’s the plan.”

 

She snorted.

 

“This’ll be a hoot.”

 

“Oh, but I’m serious here!”

 

“Do tell.”

 

“You’ll love this, it’s a foolproof plan. The baby will come out lookin’ mostly like you, because the world needs more Summer Rose’s, and I’ll be the boozed up (honorary) uncle.”

 

“Aren’t you already that for Yang?”

 

“That’s how it’s foolproof- I’ve already got the role down pat. Only this time, I’m actually the boozed up father, but no one needs to know that.”

 

Summer gave a laugh that sounded caught between tears. He squeezed her shoulders and risked running his fingers through her hair.

 

“I hate you, I hope you know that.”

 

“Well obviously you don’t since that’s my kid.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Never. I am the Un-Shut-Up-Able. Hear me yammer away.”

 

A better laugh, one not as tear soaked, and he considered his mission a success. He slowly let her go and put some distance between the two of them. They were running on luck, at this point, all things considered. Yang hadn’t needed any attention (or rescuing), and whatever Taiyang was doing was taking longer than expected.

 

Summer wiped away her tears and took a few breaths. Once she had her head on a bit straighter, she crossed her arms again and went back to being a leader.

 

“What happens if the baby ends up looking like you?”

 

Qrow shrugged.

 

“I flee the country and change my name to Robin. Was almost named Robin. Fancy that, yeah?”

 

Summer shook her head in exasperation. His voice turned gentle, his knees bent a bit so her could better be at her height and look her in the eyes.

 

“It’s gonna be fine, Summer. It’ll look like you. Because we always get lucky like that. And we’ll know if it has silver eyes quickly enough.”

 

The pair went quiet at that. Having a baby was rough in itself, especially when it’s not your husband’s child. But silver eyes… She’d be sick all the time. She’d be weak, and illness would be more violent. Silver eyes, more a curse than a blessing.

 

“Alright… Yeah, okay, alright. You’re right.”

 

“I always am. You just don’t seem to realize this often enough.”

 

“Shut-”

 

“Shut up, yes, I know, but we went over this again, Summer-.”

 

“Oh for the love of-!”

 

Qrow laughed as Summer reared back and punched his arm hard enough to leave an ugly bruise. Everything felt normal again, like there were no barriers between the two of them.

 

“Summer? Qrow? I’m home!”

 

They froze and took steps apart. Summer headed off to go see Taiyang, to meet him at the door like a loving wife that she was, and Qrow collapsed into the chair he had preoccupied earlier.

 

“Taiyang! I have something to tell you.”

 

Qrow swallowed, twice, before standing back up. The next nine months were going to be… something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I will forever believe Ruby is Qrow's child and no one can ever take that away from me  
> "Un-Shut-Up-Able" inspired by a real life conversation.  
> Ozpin Trilogy should be coming soon, I've just been having issues lately.  
> (I apologize if it looks different than usual. I'm still very, very unfamiliar with how to use AO3)


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